Movie in Review: Don no. 1

So after a long and arduous professional journey in the past few months, I have finally "settled down" into something concrete. The past few months haven't really given me enough leverage on time to really post anything on this blog at all. Meanwhile a lot seems to have happened and continues to happen, especially with the recent bomb attacks on my city, that is the latest buzz. The news channels are covering it enough I suppose, so I would not delve into the same. Anyway today I review another classy Indian movie, that plays frequently on the Television these days. By the way, there is a new trend on TV these days - dubbed South Indian action movies. Needless to say, that it is still fun to watch them, if you leave your brains partly out of the socket. Im sure many would squirm with jest and fury claiming that these movies don't make sense with the obnoxious fight scenes and the invincibility of the lead actors / heroes. Firstly, I find it amusing to see that an imaginary "Lord of the Rings" or even "Harry Potter" is reason enough for people to fall head over heels. How different are these from a "Sivaji" which again talks about the victory of Good over Evil? I mean look at it from a pure entertainment standpoint. It's sad that foreign movies (read: bagloads of budget) seem to look more attractive and better than our local productions. No doubt that the quality and actors would differ, yet I believe the Indian actors do not sweat less for their roles in local movies.


Anyway back to the review....This one's called "Don No. 1"

Don no. 1 is a 2007 Indian Telugu film directed by Lawrence, starring Akkineni Nagarjuna in the lead role and Anushka Shetty, Raghava Lawrence, Kelly Dorjee, and Nikita.

The story kicks off with a teen named Surya escaping and finding a drug dealer tormenting kids. Surya guns down the drug dealer and voila we got ourselves a new social messiah! One of the boys, Raghava expresses his wish to join him, on the common grounds of being orphans. So, a new Jai-Veeru type jodi is formed and we have the age old combination of friendship leading the rest of the story. The rest of the kids become Surya's confidants and eventually his henchmen. However, remember we started with the "Good over Evil" storyline and so it continues...

One of the most amazing aspects of Indian cinema is to fast forward the movie into the future. reminiscent of Jesus Christ and his life. Some thing happen in the childhood and then there is a sudden vaccum. Nobody knows what takes place in between these 'lost' years. And suddenly everyone surface back after a good 20 odd years. And we have ourselves a lip smacking story at hand. By now, Surya (Nagarjuna) is the good Don, ably grown in power, muscle and money. But wait I forget the most important part - handsome looks! The hero has to be dashing enough isn't it? Else, how is the movie worth its salt? So, we have a smart, handsome, fairly educated (my assumption) and happy go lucky Don in play. Raghava (Raghav Lawrence) is his comic sidekick, who adores him to death. Together, they rule the underworld of Hyderabad. Since he is the unopposed kingpin, our don even has time for a song and dance on his birthday with his "basti" people.

Everything is peaceful and hunky dory.

Enter Feroz (Kelly Dorjee), a Pakistan born Don, in a crisp white shirt and trousers. {P.S.: The costume remains throughout most part of the movie. Do Don's really have a dress code? And that too, white of all colours? And why is the Don Pakistani? Perhaps because they both can at least speak the same language. Else imagine our Indian Don ranting off in pure desi tone to a Don speaking chaste French...Naah now that would be like mixing Fish fingers and pasteurized milk. Not at all appetizing!} Anyway I digress....

Feroz is a feared don throughout the world and he apparently possesses the underworlds of Canada, South Asia and a few other Big ticket locations in his kitty. Now he wants to add Humara Pyaara Bharat Desh to his underworld fiefdom. (Down with Feroz!) And the battle royale begins...Feroz here has a unique way to capture his fellow rivals. He challenges them for a physical fight and the one who falls to the ground will have his man shot. (Talk about Innovation here. Can you beat that Hollywood, ha!!) So apparently, Feroz is the world's strongest man and he wins all such duels. And guess what he gets in return as an incentive? The losing Don's wife. Now, that is reason enough to hate him to the core, isn;'t it? (Down with Feroz, Down Down! Boo him to death).

So Feroz wants to test the waters and befriends a corrupt Indian Police officer to ascertain his claim to the region. And this Corrupt Police Officer (CPO) does the unthinkable. He rapes a local Biggie's daughter and kills her, just because she frowned when CPO talked about killing Surya. Now, Surya being the Messiah hunts down CPO in a local pub and kills him by sliding a gun through the dead girl's fingers. (Im telling you at this point you have to marvel the innovation of Indian film makers, We are the BEST, I tell you!) And the crowd applauds in admiration and justice is served.

Surya gradually begins to upset Feroz, and refuses to work under him. In umpteen attempts to kill Surya, Feroz's men get killed. Meanwhile, Surya falls in love with Priya (because of the three things he wants in his wife: to be kind, beautiful, and not to be afraid of him. Now we are really moving away from the sati-savitri requirements of an Indian wife, and my heart swells with pride! Sorry I digressed again....) At first she doesn't like him but later she does.

Comic Raghava also finds a girl he likes but his fiance Nandhini, is actually on the villain's side. (Now Im really going overboard with this innovation thing!). Raghava and Priya are captured and both have an option of killing either themselves or each other. But our comic Raghav does a Jay from Sholay and ends up killing himself. But wait he also kills his fiance, before doing so. (I was really saddened by this part of the movie, since I thought Nandhini looked pretty hot and deserved a less gruesome death. But then Innovation takes priority so....). Cut to the competition, where there is an exchange of prisoners and a battle finale for survival. After a prolonged fight scene, it is finally revealed that Feroz is not impregnable and can fall to the ground often, thus losing his men and eventually being killed at Surya's hand. But the climax is Surya's final statement: "Mere Bharat Desh ko paane ka khwaab kabhi mat dekhna." (Applause everybody!)

Final Point to ponder: Does 'Lord of the Rings' give you all this? Action, Love, Drama, Orphan situation, hostage crisis, Scenic screenshots, Comedy and finally most importantly Patriotism? Stand up and applause i say :))